


Your Words Impressed On My Heart and Soul

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: Da Vinci's Demons
Genre: Angst, Character of Faith, Community: trope_bingo, Crack and Angst, Epistolary, Friendship, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Implied Relationships, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Scripture References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:06:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6133264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An epistolary fic  in which Leo exchanges letters with Riario, and with Nico, imprisoned in the Vatican. As Leo tries to convince Riario to free Nico, Riario's feelings about Nico and Leo are brought to light with potentially tragic consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Words Impressed On My Heart and Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This started as pure crack and then it got more serious and then it got dark and I am so sorry.  
> The title is paraphrased from Deuteronomy 11:18 "impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul" to keep up the theme of Scripture quoting between Leo and Riario in the fic.
> 
> A translation of this work is available [here courtesy of ](http://www.movietvslash.com/thread-195511-1-1.html)[akito_na](http://archiveofourown.org/users/akito_na/pseuds/akito_na); details are in the [comments section](http://archiveofourown.org/comments/54784264)

  
  

* * *

 

 

 To the artista, Leonardo ser Piero da Vinci

I am truly offended. How stupid must you think me. How blind you must assume me to be, to send your young apprentice into my stronghold dressed as a woman and imagine, even with your talent for seeing the impossible, that I could be fooled.

I will admit that I pretended to be taken in the by deception until poor Nico feared for his chastity. Rest assured, however, that he is unharmed, untouched in any way.

Nico is being held in a room within the Vatican. I enclose a letter, written in his own hand, which may give more credence than my words alone. You may write him a reply if you wish, and I give my word it shall be delivered to him.

You will make recompense for this Trojan Horse by offering me a suitably valuable apology. I shall then release Nico into your custody.

Thank you for the melon. It was delicious.

Yours with great sincerity

Count Girolamo Riario, Captain General of the Holy Roman Church

* * *

  
     Leo

You fucker. I told you this wouldn't work. Why me, I asked, because you're small and cute and don't have a beard, you and Zo said. In and out, grab the artefact, just giggle and wave your fan if you see Riario, you said. He wouldn't know what to do with a woman anyway you said.

You were so fucking wrong. I am still blushing from some of things Riario said he would like to do to me before he laughed and pulled my melon out. He said he was going to enjoy eating the melon anyway, even if wasn't the kind of melon I was pretending it was.

So now I am locked in a fucking room in the fucking Vatican, fuck you very much.

Please hurry up and rescue me.

Nico

* * *

  
     To Riario

I have apparently misjudged you and for that I apologise most profusely. However as you know I am not a man of means and I am not sure what recompense you have in mind. If you can suggest terms then we can negotiate like gentleman.

I'm so glad you liked the melon. I tried peaches but they were a bit tiny and I thought maybe you might be distracted by the larger bosom. I wasn't sure if you would have preferred a cucumber but we had the dress already and Nico looked adorable in it.

The great artista, inventor extraordinaire, Leonardo da Vinci

* * *

  
     My Dear Nico

I'll come and get you soon, I promise.

By the way, what sort of things did Riario say? I need details.

Love from Leonardo

* * *

  
     My Dear Leonardo

Renounce Florence, come and live in Rome and work at my side. Those are my terms. You may begin negotiation.

May I also warn you that the next time you attempt to send your stray dog to infiltrate the Vatican I will send him home missing important parts, such as his cucumber, rather than with the addition of a black eye.

Yours with great sincerity

Count Girolamo Riario, Captain General of the Holy Roman Church

* * *

  
     Leo

I have tried to forget everything Riario said, why the fuck would I want to know about his weird sexual fantasies? It was all weird metaphorical stuff anyway, things about fruit mostly, and Bible verses.

What is taking so long? And why does Riario keep talking about mongrels?

Nico

* * *

  
     My Dear Count Riario

I find myself apologizing again. Truly one cannot pull the wool over your eyes. I should have remembered that is it only foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not, and you are no fool.

I regret that I cannot renounce Florence. Is it not true that if a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word? And that no man can serve two masters?

I enclose a sketch showing half of an invention I have been working on, a more efficient time-telling device. If this is an acceptable payment, I shall give you the other half in exchange for Nico's freedom.

Your humble servant

Leonardo da Vinci

* * *

  
     My Dear Nico

I'm working on it. Zo says hi, and wants you to know that he tried to rescue you but Riario's a bit of a paranoid fuck and discovered him attempting to bluff his way to your room.

Leo

* * *

  
     My Dear Leonardo

Of course I understand your reluctance to break your oath to Lorenzo de Medici. However I would remind you that there is no shame in admitting an error and seeking mend it. God is faithful and just and will forgive confessed sins and purify all unrighteousness.

I will also point out the Devil used scripture to tempt Our Saviour and that I can see through your attempts to quote Bible verses as easily as I saw through young Nico's disguise.

I have no need for a more accurate device to tell me the time. I suggest you think of something more suitable and with haste. Poor Nico is getting bored and starting to lose his faith in you, and a loss of any faith is sad to witness.

Girolamo Riario

* * *

  
     Leo

Riario is feeling so sorry for me. He let me eat dinner with him last night. If you don't come and get me soon, maybe I will defect to Rome. The food is good and the company listens to your ideas and doesn't use you in their experiments.

Not very kind regards

Nico

* * *

  
     My Dear Count Riario

I cannot commit to serving Rome, knowing that Rome hates everything about me. I am a man who beds indiscriminately, a man who strives for knowledge and to share that knowledge, a man who cannot live by faith alone but must test my theories and beliefs.

In you, however, I see something of myself; your obstinacy rivals my own, your desire for truth burns as fierce as mine, and your willingness to risk all in the pursuit of your ambitions impresses me. Perhaps there is a way I could work alongside you for a short time, on a particular project?

It is no secret that I commit myself fully to my work. I would commit myself fully to you, and my mind and body would be yours to command. Since the first night we met, you have been offering me forbidden fruit and perhaps it is time I accepted.

With kindest regards

Leonardo da Vinci

* * *

  
     Nico

I think he's wavering. Keep on doing whatever you're doing. Try and befriend him.

Leo

* * *

  
     Leo

Riario's letting me send this without any letter of his own. He's sulking in his room because of what happened last night.

We had dinner and we talked. I kept topping up his wine, and he got a little introspective. Then I went a bit overboard with the friendly overtures because he kissed my hand and started telling me what lovely eyes I have.

I wasn’t very much into it, but I wasn't offended by it either. So when he kissed my mouth, it was all right. Except for when he called me LEONARDO.

He was mortified and I was upset and dinner was abruptly over.

What have you been writing to Riario? I think you broke him.

Nico

* * *

  
     Leonardo

This letter is in the possession of young Nico, released without harm and returned to you. He is the only one I trust with this missive.

I concede defeat. You and your companions, your clever words and twisting of scripture, your attempts at seduction, have stirred desires I have long sought to eradicate as sinful. 

I realise now I cannot ignore my sinful nature. I can no longer deny my attraction to you.

I know you sought only to seduce me in order to secure Nico's release. I do not blame you for my weakness. I forgive you everything for which you may need my forgiveness.

If I could see the world as you do, perhaps things could be different, and I could find another way to live. But I am who the Church, and my Holy Father, have made me, and I must accept punishment for my sins, for I have sinned, and continue to sin, in mind if not in body. There can be no peace in such a life, but there might be some chance God might forgive a sacrifice made to ensure no further sin is committed.

Is it not written, that if your eye causes you to sin, then gouge it out and throw it away? It is my heart that sins, my heart and my mind which is filled with affection and thoughts of you.

May grace be with you always,

Girolamo Riario

* * *

  
     Girolamo

I have not yet perfected flight or I would be there in person, rather than sending this message by bird. Be assured I am on horseback by the time you read this, and on my way.

Yes, I was trying to seduce you for my own ends, but my words were not baseless assertions. I myself have put aside thoughts of affection for you only because I believed they would never be returned. Your recent letter makes it clear this is not the case and that I can reconsider.

Your choice of words concerns me. If you deliberately sought to alarm me then it is I who must gladly concede defeat; you win, and my fear and guilt are a just punishment for my earlier actions.

If it is otherwise, if you write truly and with an intention to remove yourself from the reach of sin by removing yourself from this world, then I must beg you to reconsider. Please don't do anything rash before I reach you and we can talk.

If you have any regard for me, do me this one favour. Wait for me. 

Leonardo


End file.
